Suicide bomber kills 7 in Nigerian church

Soldiers stand guard after a suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a church in Kaduna, Nigeria.

Story highlights

Car filled with explosives kills bomber, seven people in the church

Dozens are left in critical condition, an emergency management official says

Angry youths attack emergency workers responding to the scene

Militant Islamists have claimed responsibility for similar blasts in the past

A suicide bombing killed seven people and wounded more than 100 others Sunday at a Catholic church in Nigeria, an emergency management official said.

The bomber crashed an explosives-filled jeep into the St. Rita Church in the central Nigerian town of Kaduna, killing himself and seven others at the scene, said Musa Ilallah, a regional coordinator for the national emergency management agency.

The injured were in critical condition and were taken to four hospitals in the region, Ilallah said.

As emergency workers -- including personnel from the Red Cross and civil defense corps -- responded to the explosion, "angry Christian youth started beating our staff and as a result broke the side glass of our ambulance that was on the scene to provide service," he said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack, saying it was "barbaric, cruel and uncalled for."

"Our efforts to deal with all acts of terror and violence would only be redoubled even as the security agencies continue to receive all the support they need from government to reverse this unfortunate and unacceptable trend that threatens the peace and stability of our nation," Jonathan said in a statement.